Max's Motorcycle
by KelliSammy
Summary: When Max is spited by her first love she finds solitude in her second, her new motorcycle. This is my version of how Max got her motorcycle. ~The Third and Final Chapter is now up. Please tell me what you think~
1. Chapter 1

Max's Motorcycle Summary: When Max is spited by her first love she finds revenge and hope in her second love, her motorcycle. This is the story of how Max gains her famous motorcycle.  
  
Chapter One It was cold in February anywhere in the world, but it was especially cold in Seattle, Washington. Max barley noticed the cold as she jogged down the dark sidewalk towards the familiar apartment building in front of her. The building wasn't nice, but then nothing really was after the Pulse, but she spent most of her time there anyway despite the fact that her gut told her not to. She followed her heart. The back of Max's neck still burned where she had gotten the small barcode tattoo removed earlier that afternoon, it would be back in two weeks but she'd keep on doing it, she had stayed hidden for almost eight years.  
  
Max chuckled lightly to herself. She was seventeen, and to her, that was a funny thought. Back at Manticore time was nothing. There was no such thing and it had taken her a lot of work to find out when she was born. But that was after she found out about birthdays. A lot had changed sense Manticore; she had a job at a bakery part time making deliveries to restaurants around Seattle and she had a small apartment ten miles away from her current destination. Her life was finally getting to be normal, but the light sting on her neck reminded her that it could never be really normal.  
  
Max had grown her hair out slightly and now it reached her shoulders but was tied back in a thick ponytail. She was fairly tall and slim but athletically built. She was wearing a red tank top and jeans and a leather jacket. A few people pushed by her in thick coats and gloves but the cold didn't touch Max. She ran the last block to the apartment building and took the stairs two at a time. She didn't know why this happened but every time she went here she could never go fast enough and her stomach burned with excitement, he was the first person that ever made her feel like that.  
  
His apartment was on the top floor of the building but Max wasn't even tired as her feet touched the landing and she walked quickly down the hallway. Most of the doors were closed and there was no thing beam of light peaking out from them. It was almost midnight and most people were asleep but Max had had a late run at work. He wouldn't mind though, he never did. She reached his door and smiled as she saw the ray of light shining out from under the door frame. She knew that she could just walk in but it made her so happy to see his face light up in a broad smile. Max knocked on the door lightly and heard the quick footsteps hurry to the door. The chain slid back, the lock was turned and the door opened and there standing in front of her was Dan, looking as gorgeous as ever.  
  
The first thing Max had noticed when she saw him when she was making a delivery was his eyes. They were cool and gray and always smiling with a touch of gold. He was hard to miss, the kind of guy that everyone turned to look at when he was walking down the street. Max still got goose bumps when she saw him even though they had been dating for six months. He worked at a restaurant where she had been making a delivery and she had seen him again at a bar called Crash that was downtown. They had started talking and six hours later she had found herself in his apartment and now six months later she found herself in his heart.  
  
A smile crossed his youthful face and he leaned against the doorframe. Max looked him up and down, his pose and his body taking her breath away. He was wearing a pair of loose jeans, a tight black t-shirt and no shoes. His hair was golden blonde and cut short, spiked up on his head. His ears were pierced and he was wearing thin gold hoops in them now. He stepped aside and Max walked into his small apartment. The three rooms weren't huge but they were nice. He had been working sense he turned fourteen and now, four years later, he had made some good money.  
  
The kitchen was small but he had a fridge and a sink and a small stove, he even had a toaster sitting out on the bar. His living room was fairly large with a sofa and two chairs, a bookcase and a low black coffee table. His bedroom was sparse with only a bed and a dresser and a small desk and chair, there was a door leading to a bathroom and that was it. Max loved this place and it was where she spent most of her time. When she walked past Dan he put his arms around her waist and kicked the door shut behind him. "I didn't think you were going to come tonight," he said, his voice deep behind her.  
  
Max felt her knees weaken. "You know I come every night that I can. I had a late run at work. Mace decided to tell me at eight o'clock that I had to go across town to collect money that a client owed him. I almost told him to shove it but then I remembered that he's the guy that pays me."  
  
"Would you like something to eat?"  
  
"Do you have anything? I'm starving."  
  
Dan smiled and released Max. "Follow me," he said, grabbing her hand and walking into the kitchen. "I've got tomato soup and grilled cheese if you want."  
  
"Sure," Max said, sitting down in one of his high bar stools.  
  
Dan rummaged around in cabinets and drawers until he found what he was looking for. He quickly made two sandwiches, poured two bowls of soup and two glasses of iced tea. He slid into the seat beside her and they started eating. "I've got to leave kind of early so no monkey business," Max said, trying to sound serious.  
  
"Damn, what else are we going to do?" Dan said, smiling again.  
  
"Alright, maybe a little but I've got to leave in about four hours."  
  
"What's up?" Dan asked, blowing on a spoonful of soup to cool it off.  
  
"I've got an early day tomorrow and I want to get a little sleep. I know if I stay over here I wont."  
  
"What makes you think that?" Dan asked, laughing a little.  
  
"Because in the past week I've probably been over here for about seventy hours, and I've only slept about six of those."  
  
Dan laughed a little louder. "I can't help it. When I'm around you you make me crazy. It's what you do to me."  
  
Max smiled and finished off her soup. When Dan was done he grabbed Max's hand and started tugging her towards the bedroom. "What are you doing?" She asked, still smiling.  
  
"If you've only got four hours we'd better get started."  
  
Max laughed and allowed herself to be pulled into the bedroom.  
  
  
  
Max lay next to Dan, a smile still on her face. He was asleep next to her, cuddled up close. Max checked her watch and swore quietly. She wanted to stay with him the whole night, she wanted to watch him wake up and she wanted to cuddle with him for hours, instead she slid slowly out of bed and got dressed. She kissed the sleeping young man lightly on the lips and walked out of his apartment and ran down the stairs. She was cutting her time close. She ran full speed down the street the ten miles to her apartment. When she got there she didn't even go upstairs. Instead she walked around to the back of the building and unlocked the shed behind the building and pulled out her motorcycle. It was and old model, with so many replacement parts that you didn't know what kind it originally was but it had only cost Max two thousand dollars and she won races with it, which was all she wanted.  
  
She jumped on the bike and turned the key. The red bike rumbled to life and Max put it into gear, revved the gas and sped off down the alleyway. It didn't take her long to get to the race site. It changed every week so the cops wouldn't find them and so far she hadn't gotten caught, but then she also had enough replacement parts that she had either stolen or won to give her bike a complete makeover. The cops would never find her. The other three people were there with there motorcycles and a small crowd had gathered. Max pulled up and turned off her bike. Dismounting, she walked over to the small group of racers and pulled a wad of cash out of her back pocket. "And the undisputed champion is here. We've got a new racer with us tonight Maxie," One of the racers, a small mousy guy with thick black hair, said.  
  
"And who would that be?" Max asked.  
  
The new guy turned around and Max almost choked with laughter. This supposed new racer looked like something off the cover of Hog Heaven. He was about six feet tall with a thick handlebar mustache and a bald head. He was at least a hundred pounds overweight and wearing way too much leather. His motorcycle was a heavy Harley Davidson with way too much chrome, Max would have no problem beating him. "What are you laughing at Girlie?" He asked, almost spitting on Max  
  
"I was just wondering what your reaction's going to be when I kick your ass," She smiled sweetly at him and turned back to the other racers. "Here's the deal. One race, three blocks long, drag race. Two thousand dollars a person or your bike."  
  
The other racers grinned and threw their money into a bag that one of the racers was holding. The fat new racer pulled the bills out of his wallet and threw them in the bag. Max handed the bag to a guy in the crowd that she had seen before and trusted and told him to go stand at the finish line. He started jogging and soon disappeared into the darkness. "What if that little runt takes off with the cash?" the new biker glared.  
  
"Hey, that's my brother you ass hole," one of the racers said, stepping towards him.  
  
Max put a heavy hand on his shoulder. "He won't," was all she said, "now let's get ready to go."  
  
Max mounted her bike and gunned it. She heard the others doing the same thing and she waited until everyone was ready before leading them out to the street. There were about fifty people there by now lining up on the street to watch the race. A young woman walked out onto the street and held her arms high above her head. Max saw her arms fall as if in slow motion and she shot ahead, the others taking off as soon as she did. It didn't take long for the big guy on the "hog" to fall behind and Max revved her engine to its limit and quickly pulled ahead. In no time the race was over and Max crossed the finish line just a second before one of the other racers did. It was time for a tune up.  
  
The boy walked over to Max and handed her the bag of money and smiled at her. Max smiled down at him and ruffled his hair as she got down off her bike. "You're losing your edge Max. Last time you beat me by almost five seconds, this time it was almost one. Or maybe I'm just getting better," a young man called from the back of his bike as he pulled up beside her.  
  
"Think whatever you want to Jay but I'll beat you every time."  
  
Max heard a roar as the Harley pulled into the intersection where the racers and fans were gathered. Max turned to him and shrugged before pocketing the cash. "Alright, we'll meet at the alley behind Mike's hardware store on Tenth Street next Sunday at three in the morning. Sorry if that's too early for some of you but we have to look out for the cops. Let's try to get about ten racers this time. I need a new bike and you guys can help me buy one."  
  
The racers howled with laughter and the mousy guy from the starting line walked over to her. "I've got a buddy named Danny. I've told him a little about our racing and he wants to come. I hope you don't mind. He's got an awesome new motorcycle that he just got last week. He'd been saving up for it for almost three years."  
  
"Invite him to come. I wouldn't mind some real competition."  
  
The mousy guy pretended to glare at her and walked away. Max checked her watch. "Shit," she swore lightly under her breath.  
  
It was almost six o'clock and she had to be at work by eight which meant only two hours to get home and clean up, grab a bite to eat and hurry over to work. She hopped on her bike and speed off towards her apartment. It didn't take her long to see that she was being followed. Well, she actually heard it before she saw it; the distinctive roar of a Harley Davidson engine was close on her tail and with the streets starting to become crowded, Max wasn't going to try to outrun him. She quickly pulled off the street and down into and alleyway. He followed close behind. Max stopped her motorcycle in an opening and got off. Her muscles were tight and she was ready to spring into action as soon as provoked, a cat in a human costume.  
  
The big Harley rider with the matching moustache pulled himself off the bike, his lips twisted in a glare. "You cheated?" He said loudly.  
  
Max laughed softly. "And now we have to rumble because you feel all betrayed and your ego's bruised right?"  
  
The man smiled slightly and lunged at Max but she was ready for it. Her foot shot out and hit him in the chest with a powerful sidekick and countered with a roundhouse to his head as soon as her foot landed. Two hits and the man was knocked out cold. Max found a half filled beer bottle in a trashcan and she poured what was left on his shirt and put the bottle into his hands; just another drunk sleeping off last night's binge. Max shook her head and got back on her bike, speeding off towards her apartment.  
  
End: Chapter One  
  
Author's Note~ Sorry about the earlier mistakes. My fault and I think the second chapter is fixed to so let me know if it works. 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2  
  
Max swore quietly as she unlocked the motorcycle shed behind her apartment and climbed on. She had stayed longer at Dan's then she had meant to and she was running a little bit late. She would have been later but Dan had somewhere to go too and he had left just a minute after Max had to go visit a friend for the weekend. Max didn't see how she would get by without him. She checked her pocket to make sure that the money was still there and then she climbed on her bike and sped off. The location that she had chosen for the race this time was on the outskirts of Seattle about thirty miles from where she lived and she sped most of the way there, flashing her ID at checkpoints to get through quickly. She could see the lights of the gathering before she could hear the roaring of the engines; there were well over ten motorcycles there. The biggest race yet.  
  
She pulled in behind Mark's and saw that there were a few small fire barrels lit in the large space behind the store. There were some good motorcycles lined up on the back wall of the store including the brand new motorcycle that must have belonged to Danny. Max whistled as she saw the shining new black Kawasaki Ninja 650. She slid her bike into the spot beside it and turned off the engine. There were about fifty people standing around, some racers, most spectators. Some Max recognized from previous races but there were about two dozen people that she had never seen before. The mousy guy walked over to Max and put a hand on her shoulder. "I see that you like my buddy's bike," he said.  
  
Max laughed and pulled her eyes away from the sleek frame. "It's a nice machine. It probably cost a fortune."  
  
"Almost sixteen thousand dollars new and there are only about one hundred. The factory shut down during production. Would you like to go and meet him?"  
  
"Sure."  
  
"He brought his girlfriend along so he'll probably show off a little but he's a good racer."  
  
Max smiled and once again wished that Dan could be here to share this with her. She didn't want him involved though, the life was too dangerous. She followed her buddy over to a small corner where a young man in a black leather jacket and a baseball cap was kissing the neck of a pretty young woman. They looked pretty comfortable together and Max could tell that they were enjoying themselves. "Maybe we shouldn't disturb them," she said, stopping.  
  
The guy laughed. "Danny doesn't stop at anything. As soon as we're done he'll pick back up again with a furious pace. You'll hear her scream before the race is done."  
  
Max laughed and followed the man closer. He put out a hand and touched the younger man on the shoulder. "Hey Danny, there's someone I want you to meet. This is Max."  
  
The young man raised his head, and his gray eyes froze in horror. Max felt her breath catch in her chest and her stomach lurched. How she kept her dinner down she didn't know because at that moment she was looking into the face of her lover and her boyfriend. Dan had the same look on his face, one of sheer terror. "Hi Max," he said, breaking the silence.  
  
Max just stood there, tears rolling down her cheeks. "You son of a bitch," she finally yelled, sending the whole crowd around her into a stunned silence.  
  
"Calm down Max. Everything's going to be alright. Let's just forget about the race and go home and talk about this."  
  
"Go home?" The girl in his arms piped up, "but you said we were going home after the race.  
  
Dan glared down at her and Max felt heat rising in her face. She grabbed Dan by the collar of his jacket and slammed him against the wall. She leaned her face close to his. "Fuck you," she whispered, right into his face.  
  
She dropped him onto the ground and raced over to her motorcycle, jumped on and sped off without ever looking at the Ninja again.  
  
It didn't take Max long to get out of the city. She had raced through every checkpoint with her ID card and figured that she wasn't going to be safe for much longer. The sector police would begin to wonder why she was this far out without anything visible to deliver. The tears had stopped falling about thirty miles back and now she was stone, nothing could touch her and she was cursing herself for allowing herself to get connected to anyone. Especially allowing herself to fall in love. She had been taught that emotions were bad but then she had also been taught that the world was bad and she had found that to be wrong. She thought that Manticore had been wrong about the emotions too but they had been right, all too right.  
  
She slowed down her motorcycle and pulled over to the side of the road. She was in the forest about fifteen miles out of Seattle and the sun wasn't even over the trees yet despite the fact that she had been riding for a little over two hours. Her boss was going to be pissed about the missed work thing but Max didn't really care, she would handle it. She'd forge a doctor's note or something like that. That was the least of her worries. She hopped off her bike and stepped into the calf high grass that surrounded the roadside. There weren't many cars close by and it was a quiet place to think, it reminded her of the High Place back at Manticore where she could go and be a normal kid. She wished that one of her brothers or sisters were here, Ben to make her laugh, Tinga to comfort her, Zack to whip her out of this sad state of depression and then go kick Dan's ass. Max was on her own, and she had to work for herself and live for herself, she couldn't run from every little thing. "What am I doing out here?" she quietly asked herself, leaning up against a tree trunk.  
  
She swore loudly and hit the tree leaving a deep dent in the trunk. She ran back over to her bike and hopped on; gunning the engine she raced back to the checkpoint that she had just passed. She waited until she was in the city to use a pay phone to call her boss and ask for the day off. He wasn't very happy about it but he agreed sense she was the only good worker that he had. Max passed by her house and showered quickly, put up her money and changed clothes and finally three hours later she found herself in front of the familiar apartment building in downtown Seattle. His light was on in his apartment and Max found a thin smile crossing her lips.  
  
It didn't take her long to get upstairs and she didn't take any time to knock on the door, she just kicked it off its hinges. "What the hell?" Dan asked, running into the living room from his bedroom. He stopped quickly when he saw Max.  
  
"Honey, I'm home," she called, picking up the door and leaning it against the wall. "Sorry I left so quickly but I needed some time to think. But I've thought and I'm ready to talk. At first I wanted to kill you, then I wanted to kick your ass, then I wanted someone else to kick your ass, but now I want to kick your ass again, and I think I'm going to."  
  
"I'll call the police," Dan said, reaching for a phone.  
  
Max laughed and sat down on the sofa. "So I'd say I've got about an hour. I don't want to do it physically. Sense you think you're such a smooth racer I want to see how good you really are. A race, today at noon down Main Street. If I win I get your bike."  
  
"And if I win I get you for one more night whether you like it or not."  
  
Max grinned, there was no way she was going to loose this race. "Fine, I'll see you and your pretty bike at the Café at noon. Call some friends. You'll need someone to drive you home."  
  
Dan glared at her back as she walked out of the room and then scratched his head as he looked at his broken door. How was he going to explain this to his landlord? 


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3  
  
Max felt the rumble of her motorcycle between her legs and her stomach tightened. Dan was next to her on his new motorcycle looking calm in a jean jacket and a baseball cap. She turned to her and smiled. "I'm sorry Max. You know I never meant to hurt you."  
  
Max glared at him and focused her attention back on the road. There were a good number of cars and people on the road. That was good, she could see things that he couldn't and she knew things that he would never know. She turned back to him, a glared plastered on her face. "You know where the Boardwalk is right?"  
  
"That little seafood place on State Road? Yeah I know where it is."  
  
"First one there wins. We go as soon as that light turns red."  
  
"You mean green don't you?" He asked but Max had already turned away and was revving her bike.  
  
Dan sighed and looked back at the road. Max's eyes were trained on the lights, they were green but she knew that soon they would be red and the only two people moving would be her and Dan racing through the streets of Seattle on their motorcycles. She felt the adrenaline pumping through her body and she smiled to herself. It was going to be fun to kick this guy's ass. And it wasn't going to be that hard. She had ridden this stretch three times that morning going over advantages in her head. She knew all the back alleyway shortcuts and roads to take. She was ready but reflexively her hand tightened on the handlebars.  
  
Suddenly the light turned yellow and Max revved her bike and poised her foot ready to shift. As soon as the light turned red she jolted forward and quickly picked up speed. There was no one around her but the bike and the other people. Dan was invisible to her and Max was in her element, wind streaming through her hair, blowing against her face. She loved this. She could hear Dan but he was behind her and as soon as she turned off into an alleyway the sound of his bike disappeared and she was alone dodging trash and boxes and the occasional sleeping drunk. It didn't take her long to get out of the alleyway and back onto the street and when she did she turned around, Dan was right behind her.  
  
Despite the fact that she was a better racer his bike was better then hers and if she didn't come up with something fast he would be able to beat her and then. Well she wouldn't even think about that. She quickly dodged between cars and trucks stopped on the busy road and took an intersection at deadly speeds. She only had another three or four blocks to go and Dan was gaining fast. She pulled back on the gas and shifted into her top gear as fast as she could and focused ahead. There was a small row right down the middle of two lanes of traffic. Dan would have to go around but she was sure she could make it. Max went as fast as she could go, easily pushing two hundred miles per hour. She hit the thin lane between the stopped traffic and didn't let off the gas. She felt the wind blow by her and swore as a mirror clipped her shoulder almost sending her into another car. She quickly regained her balance and suddenly the traffic ended and she was back out into the open streets with the restaurant in front of her. Dan was farther back now after having to take a detour but he was once again gaining.  
  
Max leaned against the front of her bike and put everything she had into it. Her muscles tightened and her breath came in short gasps and suddenly she hit the restaurant. She quickly hit the brakes, coming to a skidding halt in front of the door just in time to see Dan pass by. Max hoped he wouldn't keep on going and that she'd have to chase him. She would have done it but she wasn't in the mood. He slowed down and turned the bike around, coming back towards her. "I win," she quipped, looking at him with a thin smile on her face.  
  
Dan looked back at her with a glare. "How did you do that?" he asked, stopping the engine.  
  
"Simple," Max said. "I'm the better driver. It just works that way."  
  
"I've got the better bike," Dan said, his knuckles tight on the handlebars.  
  
"Correction big boy, I've got the better bike now and you've got nothing. Now that I've got the skill and the bike, you're screwed."  
  
"Go to hell bitch," Dan spat.  
  
Max just smiled at him before pulling back and punching him in the nose. Dan let out a cry and clutched his face, blood pouring between his clenched fingers. "Oops," Max said, "Did I do that?"  
  
Dan glared at her through the blood. "How am I supposed to get home without a bike? I live miles away from here."  
  
"I'm sure you can get some cute truck driver to give you a lift if you help him out. If not, I suggest you get walking cutie pie because pity don't work on me."  
  
Dan glared at her as he stepped off the bike and started walking in the other direction, his hand still cupping his wounded nose. Max got off her bike and hopped on the other one delighting in the roar of the engine as she turned the key. Max smiled and for a single second there was no Manticore, there was no Dan and there was no world, there was only Max and her motorcycle.  
  
Twelve hours later Max sat on the Space Needle in downtown Seattle. It was the one place that she could go to think when she wanted to be alone and it reminded her of the "high place" back at Manticore. I could have dumped the bike. Max thought to herself. Tossed it in a river or lake somewhere; burned it in a back alleyway. I could have sold it and made a fortune but instead I sold my other bike for a measly two grand and have been riding around on my new motorcycle all day. I could have dumped it and Dan could have become another part of my life that never existed. But I didn't want it that way. Some things I want to remember, some mistakes I want to know so I don't make them again. Dan was a mistake because I fell in love with him and that was stupid. I can't fall in love, not with what I am and who I'll never be. I hope I broke that basterd's nose into little pieces so that whenever he looks in a mirror he'll see me staring back at him and remember what he did. I know that every time I ride that motorcycle I'll see him and I'll never make that mistake again. I guess that bike really is an extension of my soul, if there is such a thing. 


End file.
